5 Reasons Why Iron Man 3 Succeeded

This is one of those films in which I disconnect myself with the many comic fans out there. Not because I’m ignoring the source material which I will prove I have knowledge of, but because what they did here worked and it made sense for the story they were trying to portray which connected it to the Avengers and the Cinematic Universe as a whole.

We Get Tony Stark

What we got here was Tony Stark, the essence of his character beyond the suit and beyond RDJ. Like they said in the film, he’s not the guy he used to be anymore, the life of a playboy is out the door like Tony in the books. He sees the future and he’s preparing for what lies ahead. Tony Stark is Iron Man, there’s no other way to say this when people say we didn’t get enough Tony or not enough Iron Man. Neither side of him is more important than what he does as either.

The PTSD was a clever move by Marvel. You can’t question why he has it. This is someone who in the Avengers film fought a god, almost got shredded in a propeller moving at high speeds, was thrown out a window, and took a suicide dive through a portal carrying a missile which was most likely a one way trip. Not only this but even after barely surviving and falling through the portal, he almost crashed into the Earth. That is something you don’t forget after the adrenaline wears down. Tony is not Superman, he’s a genius in a suit of armor. Nothing here was forced, and of the Avengers and next to Hawkeye who is used to that situation, he is the most human.

And then they have shown us his capabilities without the armor. Tony is not defenseless without it, he is an engineer, he is cunning, and he has been trained by Cap to defend himself which not only makes him formidable without the suit, but even more with it.

Last I have to mention the chest piece that keeps the shrapnel away from his heart. Removing it was to show that it was only holding him back. You really haven’t paid attention to the film if the question needs to be asked. He obviously had grown too attached to being Iron Man that he didn’t want to give up what makes him tick now, wounds and all. Chucking it into the ocean was his way of letting go of the one part of him which could be used against him. No one is going to go searching in the ocean for it, even if they had it they would need to be able to have his suit plans to have any real use for it. It makes zero sense for him to keep it in his heart when he is shown to be making progress as a person and shown that he doesn’t need to depend on the suits. Even destroying the suits in the end didn’t mean the end of Iron Man. It meant that he was starting a “clean slate”, starting over and becoming not only the hero, but person he’s supposed to be. Like the kid said, he’s an engineer, making new suits is no problem as in the comics all his old ones are gone as well.

Standout Supporting Cast

Rhodes is Tony’s best friend, this is what we see in the film. The one person who was able to see through him that he was affected by the events of New York. The one person who can be just as witty in his dialogue and kick ass just as much. Like Tony he isn’t just War Machine/Iron Patriot, he is just as badass without the armor which was displayed twice throughout the film.

While the emergence of Rescue was not promised, what was promised is Pepper taking a larger role and kicking ass. She saved Tony from falling debris, saved Maya from the collapsing house, and killed the main villain(yes she can fight, there’s a reason fans expected Rescue). What more could you ask from her? There was no damsel in distress here, this is a woman who does business and handles it because that is what she does best. Not only this but she is in control of Stark Industries, nothing different from the books and thinks on her feet which is why when Tony makes all the wrong decisions, she does things right.

Maya served her purpose. Not only as the inventor of the Extremis, but as someone who created something the world wasn’t ready for. Like Tony she wants to change the world for the better and what she created is something that can do amazing things. But as important as it is, in the wrong hands it is dangerous. Extremis is her life, it is everything to her and like the Iron Man suits it’s not meant to be a weapon. Funny people point out her little role, yet this is still a time skip and even the story arc that was last year, she died not only 2 panels into the story trying to get Tony to take her creation back from those who are abusing it.

Even Happy as he was on-screen, though didn’t get as much time as the others was on point every time. Didn’t matter who was fleshed out and who wasn’t, this is “Iron Man 3”, and what we got was Iron Man.

The Villains Are Clever And Dangerous

Iron Man is still centered around science and with the witty dialogue that we may expect, there has to be that balance of something that sounds more real if I may say. Though what I notice is that there is too much emphasis on the Mandarin as the villain, after watching this film that should not still be assumed. It is “villains” because AIM is an evil organization, the same as HYDRA and the leader of AIM is the real villain, Killian is the voice behind this version of Mandarin. It is a clever twist that they did and if they said from the start that Killian was the villain then we wouldn’t have cared for Mandarin or really felt so shocked by what he really was.

Yes Mandarin is not the same Mandarin from the comics. This is a beaten horse and honestly Mandarin was never promised that he was the true villain, fans just fell for the hype and got their expectations too high. Mandarin was funny, and scary when you actually thought he was the Mandarin, that again isn’t lazy storytelling, it’s clever. For all you know before you jump the gun, if this movie were to ever continue, Mandarin can still appear. Killian wrote him off as an idea, an idea which could come back as maybe the real Mandarin emerges insulted at what transpired in his name.

Killian represented everything that is wrong with AIM. They take what they want, they steal ideas from people who want to make a difference and use it for their own selfish goals. That is what we got here whether it was the true form of AIM or not. And even with Killian gone AIM will still thrive like they always have, a new leader may even step up in the near future just like it always happens in the comics, maybe M.O.D.O.C.K. will be introduced next?

The Story And Plot Is Real

People praise The Dark Knight trilogy for being down to Earth and grounded, but what about Iron Man 3? Is there some exception that only Batman can pull this off? This is a character driven story that didn’t demand high expectations and didn’t try to be anything more than what is intended. It was entertaining, it was serious, and in general it is a superhero film. once you forget that then you lose sight of what’s in front of you.

I liked how Joey(IGN Comic Editor) explained the story so I’ll quote him on this “The whole point of this movie is to showcase the inherent heroism of Tony. The Avengers destroyed any last bit of selfishness he had inside, instead giving him a new near-fatal flaw: he can’t stop the self-sacrifice. He’s almost got a death wish in Iron Man 3, and Black takes him on a journey of how to strike a balance between being a hero and being a person.”

What’s more to say than this? He has enemies(many enemies), he has a troubled past, he has something to fight for and protect. This was an exploration into what one will do to protect not only the ones closest to him, but protect the one thing that defines who he is. The Iron Man suit isn’t just a costume, it’s a symbol of everything he has achieved, everything he hopes to achieve, and how great power comes with great responsibility. This was truly shown as he lectured Maya in how far she’s fallen to let something as precious to her as the Extremis get into the wrong hands, that’s something that people such as she and Tony should be protecting with their lives as scientists.

It Almost Surpassed Avengers

Opening weekend this movie earned an estimate of $175.3 million, surpassing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 to score the second-highest opening weekend behind The Avengers. The movie continued its international domination as well, essentially doubling its North American opening with another $175.9 million in 54 territories with an international total of $505 million and a global take of $680.1 million in just 12 days of release. You can say that money doesn’t matter, but you can’t dismiss a movie that people took the time to see multiple times. Movies that make this much money isn’t just based off of those who just pour in to see it for their first time. They are coming back for more and that is how entertaining this movie is.

They didn’t just count for 84% of the domestic box office this weekend, Iron Man 3 stole nearly 84% of the domestic box office this weekend. Most can’t compare to this and this is two movies side by side that Robert Downey Jr. starred in.

Jideobi is the Comic Editor at Analog Addiction where he writes all things comics and comic related(especially if X-Men). Also follow him on Twitter @Siphen0.